THE HARVARD CHORUSES
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Cambridge

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Voices

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NEW MEMBER primer

Welcome to Cambridge Common Voices! Here you can learn all about our mission, values, and member expectations.
If you haven't already done so,  please register for CCV by clicking the button to the right. This will enroll you in our member email list. 

quick facts:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Website:  www.singatharvard.com/ccv
  • Introductory Video:  https://tinyurl.com/CCVwelcome
  • Membership Fees: FREE! No audition necessary
  • Meeting Times: Tuesdays, 5:00pm-6:30pm
  • Meeting Location: Holden Chapel, Harvard Yard [link to map]
  • Concerts: Typically there are 4-5 concert events per year

values:

CCV sees disability not as a deficit, but as a fact of human diversity worthy of creative exploration and appreciation. Drawing upon the individual and collective funds of knowledge within its community, CCV aspires to frame disability as a resource of artistic ingenuity that holds the potential to broaden the concepts of choral music and revolutionize artistic praxis in conventional settings. Soon after its founding in 2018, members of CCV put forth the following values that guide our work: 
  • Joy 
  • Cultural Humility 
  • Fierceness 
  • Relevance 
  • Authenticity 
  • Self-Determination
REGISTER FOR CCV

leadership

Dr. Andy Clark, Director
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Andy serves as the music director of CCV and the Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University, where he teaches courses in Music and Disability Studies, as well as conducting and choral repertoire. Since 1999, Andy has served as a founding faculty member of the Notes from the Heart music program at the Woodlands Foundation near Pittsburgh, PA, an organization providing enrichment and educational experience for individuals with disabilities and chronic illness. 
Will Houchin ​, associate music director
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Will is the associate music director of CCV and teaches elementary music in the Boston Public School. Will specializes in elementary music education and working with students with disabilities. Will is in demand as a clinician and speaker on his work in implementing principles of Universal Design to music education and holds a Masters in Music Education with a Concentration in Autism from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. 
Dr. James Gutierrez, managing DIRECTOR
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James is managing director of CCV,  administering communications, organization, and logistics. James is a  professor in music department at Northeastern University, and local choir director. An educator, musician, composer, and advocate, James’ overarching mission is to realize the potential of music-making as a force for social change, community building, and personal well-being. 

​[email protected]

Ben Tan, Piano accompanist
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Ben Tan, CCV pianist/accompanist, is a classically-trained pianist and music educator. He performs as a music director and keyboardist for musical theatre, and plays in an oldies cover band. He teaches music at David A. Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury and has extensive experience teaching students with disabilities, students with emotional impairments, and English language learners. Since 2017 he has taught piano, voice, and music theory at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, and has presented about his work at Berklee to the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. He earned his MM in music education at Boston Conservatory. ​

mission:

Cambridge Common Voices (CCV) is a community chorus established in partnership between Harvard College and the Threshold Program at Lesley University, a transition program for young adults with diverse learning challenges. CCV strives to create an inclusive musical space and practice, affirming individual voices and exploring innovative approaches to music- making. We do this through (1) providing sequential, inclusive music instruction; (2) intentionally cultivating a neurodiverse community; (3) stimulating artistic and pedagogical ingenuity; and (4) combating ableism in music education and practice. ​


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Image of a word cloud showing CCV's values as described by CCV members

expectations:

1. Show up
Auditions are not required to join CCV. The ensemble meets on Tuesdays from 6:15p-7:30p in the Music Building, at Harvard, Cambridge, MA [link to map]. The space is accessible and near the Harvard Square T station. Many of our members gather around 4:30p to socialize, connect, and assist in preparing for our rehearsals. 

2. Be present 
We work hard and set high expectations for ourselves and the group. Music making requires concentrated thought and deep listening. We aim to minimize distractions to focus on our music and each other. Please be try and use your phones and other devices only as necessary.

3. Ask for help 
Everyone needs help and CCV values interdependence as well as independence. We not only learn from our instructors, but from each other as the group often implements peer- assisted learning strategies to draw upon each singer’s strengths. 

4. Don’t be tied to the outcome 
Though we strive for excellence, as we choose to define it, we also believe that perfectionism is a thought distortion. Too often, in choral music, the acquisition of technique and cultural capital – for its own sake -- has often held sway over the quest for personal meaning, connection, and impact. We engage in process-oriented work while we also love to perform and share our music and message with others.


members

Members of CCV include Harvard College students of varying musical backgrounds, current and alumni members of the Threshold Program at Lesley University and the Perkins School for the Blind, participants from Berklee’s Accessible Arts Education programs, and other individuals from the local community. All are welcome. 
 
How do I fit in? 
CCV cultivates a music-making and community-building space of intentional difference. We are a diverse group of equal partners who identify as disabled, neurodivergent, non-disabled or temporarily-abled, neurotypical, or none of the above. CCV is not a service project or hierarchical mentoring program. We believe that ally is a verb and we seek to share a deep mutual care and respect for one another. All members participate for artistic, educational, and social purposes. We are also not a creative arts therapy or medical intervention. Though we often find our work to be therapeutic and draw upon empowering elements of music therapy, our work does not intend to address or remediate any impairment or diagnosis. CCV strives for high standards while rejecting musical snobbery. We are not a respite activity or a place to simply pass the time. 

History & partners

CCV was founded in 2018 as a collaboration between the Threshold Program at Lesley University and the Harvard Choruses. Harvard students enrolled in Music 176 (Music & Disability) helped develop CCV, drawing upon model organizations such the Joyful Noise Choir in New Jersey, SNAP Arts Chorus in Lexington, MA, My Own Voice Chorus in Andover, MA, and the Inner Harmony Chorus in Boston, MA, among others.

Our community partners include Harvard’s Office for the Arts and Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship, the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, the Woodlands Foundation
Notes from the Heart program, and the Perkins School for the Blind. Membership in Cambridge Common Voices is free of charge; our program is generously underwritten by the Walter and Kate Fromm Fund for Choral Music at Harvard University.

The Harvard Choruses

Glee Club

red crest logo for Harvard Glee Club

Collegium

Logo for Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum

RCS

Logo for Radcliffe Choral Society

HRC

Other Harvard
​Choral Groups 

Kuumba Singers
University Choir
​Harvard Summer Chorus
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Community
    • Leadership
    • Tours
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Contact Us & Subscribe
  • Ensembles
    • Harvard Glee Club
    • Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
    • Radcliffe Choral Society
    • Cambridge Common Voices
    • Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus
    • Harvard Summer Chorus
  • Programs & Initiatives
    • Holden Voice Program
    • New Music Initiative >
      • About the Initiative
      • Ensemble Veritas
      • Concerts & Events
      • Student Composers
    • Skills for Singing
  • Concerts & Events
    • 2024-2025 Season
    • Past Seasons >
      • American Jezebel
      • Locklair: The Harvard-Ashmont Evening Service
      • Choir During Quarantine
    • Live Stream Archive
    • Poster Gallery
  • News
  • Media
    • Listen
    • Watch